Acta Scientifica Malaysia (ASM)

Cosmetic products are those formulations which are applied on different parts of body including teeth, nails, face and hair. These are used to clean body and improve appearance. On the basis of area on which cosmetics are applied these can be categorized in different categories like cosmetics for oral care, for skin, for hair and perfumes etc. Microorganisms are known for so many years due to their ability to grow and multiply in cosmetic care products. Cosmetic products are not considered to be sterile but there must be a minimum level of microbial contamination. This study was conducted to assess the cosmetic care products for their potential microbial contaminants (both fungal and bacterial). Cosmetic products were collected in two categories; cosmetic creams and moisturizing lotions. Pour plate technique was used to determine total viable count. Sample dilution was made in Phosphate buffer saline containing 0.5% of an emulsifying agent that was polysorbate 80. Different general purpose, selective and differential media were used for culturing. Identification was based upon morphology of colonies, Gram reaction and standard biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity was checked by using different antibiotic and antifungal discs on Muller-Hinton Agar and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar. In this study the contaminants isolated from creams and lotions were; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus niger. Among these isolates P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and E. coli were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Amikacin and Tobramycin while A. niger was sensitive to Streptomycin, Ketoconazole and Clotrimazole.